Goodbye Sweet Angel
by hermionespolyjuice
Summary: Charlie and Hermione find themselves doing something than no parent should have to do. Will they be able to get some closure and find out what or who killed their daughter?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a oneshot for you, hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review 3**

 **\- HermionesPolyjuice xoxo**

"Charlie, it's happening," a quiet voice croaked from behind him. He turned around to see his wife framed in the doorway, her face blotchy and her eyes puffy. He gulped and felt tears sting his eyes for at least the fourth time in the last 24 hours. It couldn't be that time already. It had come too soon. Feeling lost he placed one foot in front of the other and slowly walked over to his wife and engulfed her in a hug. They stood there for a minute, wallowing in their emotions. They needed to be strong for her, but it was hard. Charlie felt his shirt dampen from her tears and tried to blink his own tears away but they still fell into her bushy, brown hair.

They finally pulled apart and Hermione looked up into Charlie's eyes. There was no sparkle in her chocolate brown eyes that there normally was. Charlie hadn't seen that sparkle for weeks now and he knew she hadn't seen his blue ones twinkle with happiness for a long time. Charlie reached out and gently wiped away the tears that were trickling down her cheeks with his thumb before kissing her forehead.

"I bet she's asking for us," he whispered gently taking her small, soft hand in his calloused one and leading her out of the tea room, ignoring the weeps emitting from his mother in the corner.

{FLASHBACK}

"Izzy, hurry up and put your shoes on. We're going for a walk," Charlie shouted up the stairs, groaning inwardly slightly. Their daughter had most certainly taken after her two uncles, cheeky and mischievous. He had asked her to get ready three times already and she was still hidden in her room, likely playing with their dog as Charlie hadn't seen him for a while.

"Coming, Daddy!" a voice floated down the stairs. To Charlie's relief he heard her light footsteps running down the stairs and a second later a young child flung themselves into his arms, her long auburn hair flicking him in the eyes making them sting.

"Don't think you're getting away with this young lady," Charlie muttered but nonetheless he swung her around in a circle a few times before placing her carefully on her feet.

"Sorry, Daddy. Uncle Fred sent me something so I was trying it out and it turned Toby's fur pink and black," Izzy said with a smile. Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"Oh did he now? And did Uncle Fred send you something to turn it back to normal? I don't think we can take a pink and black dog on a walk around the park, do you?" Charlie said. His daughter didn't say anything but his question was answered when a now pink and black spaniel jumped down the stairs.

"Well, missy it looks like we're paying a visit to Uncle Fred and Uncle George to set Toby right. But like I said don't think you're getting away with this, just wait until your mother hears about this," Charlie said waggling an eyebrow. Izzy gulped and went white.

"You…you wouldn't tell her would you?" she asked horrified.

"Of course I will. It's not like you'll listen to your father or favourite uncle," Charlie said with a small chuckle knowing full well that this, however, was something he wouldn't be telling his wife and would be their little secret.

"Right shoes and coat on, let's go." Izzy hurried to the back door and pulled on a pair of shoes and her favourite navy coat before opening the door and jumping down the porch stairs onto the grass. Toby followed, clearly oblivious at his new style. Charlie couldn't help but laugh as the two best friends chased each other around the garden, completely unaware of how much his life would change over the next year.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

Charlie smiled to himself ever so slightly as he remembered that time his daughter had changed their dog's fur from its normal brown and white to bright pink and black stripes.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, Charlie's smile obviously not escaping her attention.

"Oh, just something I remembered Iz doing," Charlie replied not wanting to give anything away. He had of course kept their little secret away from his wife and it was something he held close to his heart.

"What did she do now?" Hermione questioned her eyebrows raising. Charlie bent down and placed a kiss on his wife's nose.

"Something for me to know and you to not ask about," he whispered with a chuckle. Hermione frowned but didn't push the subject anymore. Truth be told, she probably didn't want to know what her mischievous daughter had done. She had been nothing like her elder brother, Jackson, who had been a studious and rule-abiding hard-worker who took after his mother much more than his sister had. Jackson was three years older than Izzy and had started his second year at Hogwarts a few weeks ago but after speaking with Minerva McGonagall earlier, Hermione knew he was now on a train back to London to be with his family.

The duo walked in silence through the hospital, never letting go of each other's hands and ignoring the many looks they were getting. With the help of family and close friends they had kept all of this a secret so no one knew why they were seeing Hermione Granger and her husband walk through St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

They finally reached the right room. Charlie's eyes stung once again as he saw the name above the door _Miss I Granger-Weasley_. He quickly blinked away the tears and knew Hermione was doing just the same before turning the handle and pushing open the door. It was a fairly small room with just enough space for a bed, a closet, some chairs and a sofa-bed with an ensuite bathroom. The bed was in one corner, directly under the window that was now streaming with the bright, autumnal sun, surrounded by machines, chairs and tables covered in potions. On the other side of the room was the closet and sofa-bed. Hermione and Charlie had alternated each night who would stay with their daughter but last night they had both stayed. It had been the longest night that never felt like it was ending and they had both been a little glad when the rest of the Weasleys had turned up that morning. The past 24 hours had been horrible and Charlie didn't know how he and his wife had coped but it was obviously to stay strong for Izzy. He never thought he would have to go through this and never, ever wished it upon anyone else, even his greatest enemies. he sighed and his eyes go prickly with tears.

Charlie's feet subconsciously carried his body to the bed and sat down in one of the hard, wooden chairs that had made his back ache these past 10 days. He took a hold of his daughter's tiny, cold hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it. He looked down at Izzy and choked back tears. It didn't look like her at all. She was tiny, thin and unhealthily pale. There was nothing to her. Charlie could see every bone. Her eyes were dark and shallow, her lips cracked and her long, bushy auburn hair splayed out across the pillow, beads of sweat shining on her forehead. The healers had absolutely no idea what was wrong with her the first time they brought her in just over a year ago and had sent her back home a week later when it seemed she had made a full recovery. They all thought she was getting better but found themselves back in St Mungo's a month after the first trip but again she seemed fine after a few days and went back home and this time stayed at home. Everyone thought she had made a full recovery until they found themselves once again in the Paediatric Ward about 5 months ago, flummoxing all the healers with what was wrong. She was put through test after test but none of them came back conclusive. They were in and out until 10 days ago when she never got well enough to go back had even resorted to visiting some muggle doctors wondering whether it had been some kind of muggle disease. But even they had all come back negative. It was surprising everyone who met her and frustrating the family as to what was making their daughter so ill.

{FLASHBACK}

Charlie was sat on the sofa at The Burrow, his arm around Hermione's shoulders watching the scene unfold in front of them. It was the last weekend before Jackson, Harry and Ginny's son James and George and Alicia's twins, Lloyd and Suzie, were to start Hogwarts and all the Weasleys and their families were all around at The Burrow for the traditional Sunday lunch and now they were all sat in the living room watching Fred and George teach the youngsters their pranks to take away and have some fun at Hogwarts. They had now moved onto the indoor fireworks. To no one's surprise Izzy had flung herself into it and was having the best time possible, almost more so than any of her elder brother and cousins. They hadn't told anyone about Izzy spending a week in hospital about a month ago and didn't want to burden anyone when she seemed absolutely fine and back to her naughty self. It had been worrying for them, especially with the healers not knowing what was wrong. But she had pulled through and it didn't look like anything was wrong.

"So…if I just do this, then the fireworks will go off," Lloyd said wonderingly as he mimed pulling the red tab sticking out of the box.

"Yes, but how about we –" Fred didn't get to finish his sentence at Izzy had jumped over and pulled out the tab and the box burst open fireworks filling the room. The look of excitement on Izzy's face as she watched the fireworks fizz and bang around the room made it hard for Hermione to get angry especially as she hadn't been this happy in a while.

"Fred! George! How dare you set off those ruddy fireworks in my house! You should know better by now, your pranks stay away from this house," Mrs Weasley's voice erupted from the kitchen as she heard the bangs and whizzes from the living room. She appeared from the kitchen, brandishing a ladle. Fred and George shared a worried look despite knowing they had done anything.

"Run," Fred hissed at Izzy who excitedly bounded to her feet and burst outside into the warm August air.

"Isabelle Granger-Weasley, I cannot believe you set off those fireworks. What on earth were you thinking?" Hermione said sternly once her daughter reappeared from outside a little while later. It was apparent Izzy had got away with it, she was becoming better at the whole prank business than Fred and George had been at her age. Hermione opened her mouth to carry on telling her daughter off when she saw a lone tear spill down the 8 year old's cheek. Hermione walked over to her daughter, ignoring the questioning looks from the rest of the Weasleys.

"What's the matter, angel?" Hermione asked softly, worry running through her blood. She knelt down in front of her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

"My tummy really hurts, mummy," Izzy hiccupped, her face buried in Hermione's forever bushy hair. Hermione froze at the comment, her blood going cold.

"Did you eat a bit too much ice cream then, young lady?" she asked trying to keep the mood light as she pulled away from her daughter to look at her in the eyes. Izzy shook her head.

"I didn't have any. Mummy, I'm scared. I don't want to go back to St Mungos," Izzy said tears falling more freely now.

"No one said you had to go back so no need to worry yourself. How about we go home, get you into bed with a hot water bottle and some TV? I might even let Toby join you if you're lucky," Hermione suggested. Izzy nodded her head but there was no usual sparkle in her eyes and Hermione knew something really was very wrong.

"OK, go and get you coat and shoes on and I'll tell Daddy we're going home." Izzy walked to the door and sat down, pulling her shoes on as Hermione sighed and turned back to Charlie.

"We're going home now. She's not very well. I think you might need to tell everyone," she whispered in Charlie's ear and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Charlie's eyes widened in shock and knew his feeling was mirrored in Hermione.

"Is…is she OK?" he gulped.

"I don't know but I have an awful feeling that she's really not. I'm just hoping it was all a bit too much excitement for one day but we'll see," Hermione replied squeezing her husband's hands and standing up.

"It looks like I'm taking Iz home, the little rascal is missing Toby a bit too much," Hermione said with a very forced laugh. Everyone looked at her and judging by the look on her face knew she wasn't being truthful.

"Thank you for a lovely lunch, Molly. Good luck at Hogwarts, James, Lloyd and Suze you'll have a ball. See you at home Jackson." With her goodbyes said, Hermione beckoned the tear-ridden Izzy to the fireplace and they flooed back home. Silence filled the room before Charlie cleared his throat.

"Well, I think I have some explaining to do," he said, colour fading from his face.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

Charlie didn't hear the door open nor was he aware of the tiny patter of feet crossing the room towards him. It wasn't until the favourite spaniel jumped up onto the bed that he was aware of someone standing behind him.

"How?" he asked as he watched Toby cuddle up next to Izzy. They had been inseparable ever since the two children suggested the dog. It had upset Jackson how Toby had taken a greater liking to Izzy but he didn't mind too much, the three of them always had a lot of fun.

"Just a little bit of persuading," the person behind him responded as Charlie heard the scrape of a chair being pulled out and someone sitting down. He turned around and saw sadness etched on Fred's face. It was a look that he hadn't ever seen on Fred before.

"Thank you," was all he managed, the stray tear trickling down his cheek. He reached out and grabbed hold of Fred's hand and squeezed it. Fred managed a small smile but nothing more. Fred had always had a little soft spot for Izzy. She was the neice who had the greatest passion for his pranks, so much more than any other neice or nephew. And as he had no children of his own, he almost felt as if Izzy was his own daughter. Whenever, Hermione and Charlie had needed someone to look after their daughter, Fred was always the first point of call and he would always drop anything and everything to be there. Charlie knew it was just as hard for Fred to watch Izzy get worse and worse.

There was a movement in the bed and Izzy wriggled into a more comfortable position her eyes not opening and her breathing not getting any better. It had become more of a rasping than breathing and it was shallow and infrequent. Izzy's arm twitched and she obviously felt the fur tickling her chin as her eyes opened just a little. With a wince she turned her head and for the first time in two weeks a small smile appeared on her face upon seeing Toby lying next to her. The dog became aware his friend was awake and gave the girl a lick. A quiet giggle escaped her lips. But it soon turned into a rasping cough.

"Why's Toby here?" Izzy asked once she stopped coughing, her voice hoarse and almost inaudible. Her eyes closed as she nuzzled closer to the dog.

"Uncle Fred did a bit of magic and persuaded the healers to let him in," Charlie explained as he tucked a piece of Izzy's hair behind an ear.

"Is Uncle Fred here?" she asked very slowly, keeping her eyes closed.

"Of course I'm here, my favourite niece," Fred hiccuped leaning forward and placing a kiss on Izzy's forehead. Izzy smiled as she recognised the voice but still couldn't bring herself to open her eyes.

"Did you turn his fur back to normal?" Izzy asked. Fred frowned at Hermione and Charlie, confused by the comment.

"It's always been normal, Iz," Charlie said slowly.

"No, I just turned it pink and black," Izzy explained, her lips turning upwards as she reminisced on the memory. Hermione raised her eyebrows looking at Fred, who shrunk back a little into his chair under her look.

"That was a long time, Iz. About two years ago. But don't say anything else, I didn't tell Mummy and now she's looking at my funny," Charlie said with a chuckle. Izzy didn't respond and judging by her even slower breathing they all figured she had gone back to sleep.

"Pink and black, eh?" Hermione questioned sternly looking between the two brothers.

"It was just a bit of a laugh," Fred said, cowering a little.

"But you didn't get a photo? Merlin, how much I would have loved to have seen a pink and black spaniel running around," Hermione laughed confusing the two Weasleys very much. They exchanged an odd look.

"Oh come one, just because I disapprove of your pranks doesn't mean I don't enjoy the occasional one," Hermione said catching the look they exchanged. The three of them smiled and even Toby wagged his tail gently.

{FLASHBACK}

Charlie stumbled out of the fireplace and quickly hurried out of the reception and towards her room. It didn't take him long to find it, not because he knew the route so well but because he could hear her singing loudly. She was obviously feeling a lot better this morning. He pushed open the door and was surprised to see the room so busy. It was filled with all the Weasleys and their wives/husbands. Balloons were floating all around and streamers hung from the ceiling. In the centre of attention was Izzy, still wearing her hospital pyjamas but wearing a large crown. Above her bed someone, most likely Fred, had strung a Happy 9th Birthday Izzy banner that flashed and occasionally sang _Happy Birthday_.

"Daddy!" Izzy called over from the bed seeing Charlie walk in the door, his arms laden with presents. He beamed over at his daughter, who seemed in a lot better mood than previous days. She still looked very ill, thin and pale but at least she had broad smile on her face, bigger than he had seen in a good few weeks. Charlie put the presents down on the table and hurried over to pick Izzy up in a big hug. He swung her around and she shouted with glee. It didn't take long for Hermione to object and Charlie placed his daughter back onto the bed. She was breathing heavily but still had a smile on her face.

"Daddy look what Granny Molly gave me," Izzy said holding out a purple beanie hat with a knitted dog on the front. She happily pulled it onto her head and beamed over at Mrs. Weasley, who struggled to hold in a few stray tears.

"That looks so warm, maybe we should keep it in a safe place for the winter?" Charlie suggested knowing that with whatever illness his daughter had contracted always made her very hot and Izzy would pull off the hat in a few moments.

"No, I want to wear it," Izzy said defiantly. Charlie shrugged not wanting to argue with his daughter.

"How about you open you present from your favourite uncle now," Fred beamed from the end of her bed pointing at a large box sitting at her feet. Charlie struggled to tell who was more excited, the giver or the receiver and chuckled inwardly to himself. He watched as Izzy eagerly reached for the present and began to unwrap it, carefully pulling off the ribbon and examining the 3 W's.

She opened the box and pulled out a handful of sweets, quills and feathers.

"Read the letter when you're by yourself, and don't tell your mother what they are," Fred whispered in her ear smirking a little. Hermione obviously overhead and raised a suspicious eyebrow at Fred but he just winked back at her. So what if Hermione disapproved, the gift was for Izzy who definitely did not disapprove of them.

"Thank you Uncle Fred, I can't wait to experiment," she said gleefully throwing her tiny frame around Fred's neck. Charlie smiled at the interaction between his daughter and brother, so glad that she was at least able to have some fun during the hard time.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

"She's not well at all, the healers don't think she's got long. Her breathing's getting worse by the hour and her heart isn't pumping enough blood and…and it's just not looking good," Charlie choked back as he informed the other Weasleys who were sat in the tearoom. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder as he let out a sob. Charlie buried his face in his hands, tears spilling out of his eyes and his whole body shaking with sobs. The person moved in front of Charlie and wrapped their arms around his shaking body, pressing him close to their warm body. The distinctive smell told Charlie it was his father. he tried to slow his breathing down, feeling a little comforted by his hero. It wasn't fair. A parent shouldn't have to bury their child. Charlie didn't know how he was going to do it. He couldn't see how his family would heal. Izzy was their life. He and Hermione loved her; the whole family loved her. It just wasn't fair. Charlie would do anything to swap his place with Izzy, absolutely anything.

"Dad?" a small voice came from behind him, bringing back to his senses. Charlie quickly pulled away from his father and wiped his eyes before turning around to see his son walking towards him.

"Hey, son," Charlie smiled reaching out and giving his son a bear of a hug. For the second time that day, Charlie felt his shirt dampen from tears. Father and son stood there for a while before Jackson pulled away and looked up at his father.

"Izzy's going to die isn't she?" Jackson questioned despite knowing the answer before finishing the question. Professor McGonagall had pulled him out of Charms first thing that morning and put him on the train down to London. The moment he saw her grave face he knew it was bad.

"Yes, son. She is. But we need to be strong for her because right now it's harder for her," Charlie said, more tears falling out of his eyes. Jackson nodded and fiercely wiped his eyes.

"I guess it'll mean I'll need to become the prankster of the family and to be Uncle Fred's favourite," Jackson managed with a smile. Charlie let out a chuckle and ruffled his son's dark brown hair.

"Let's go say hi to her and Toby," Charlie said leading his son out of the tearoom giving a quick wave to his family. Something had come over him upon seeing Jackson. He knew he needed to be strong but now his son was around more strength filled him and he felt almost as if was going to be easier. Of course it wasn't going to be easy whatsoever, but Jackson's presence gave him a new found strength.

"Toby? What's he doing here?" Jackson questioned as they headed down the corridor.

"Uncle Fred somehow managed to persuade them to let him in," Charlie replied with a smile. Jackson laughed.

"Trust Uncle Fred to do that." They reached Izzy's room and Jackson pushed open the door, his lips turning up into a wide smile upon seeing his sister and dog lying in the bed.

"Izzy!" Jackson exclaimed, dropping his schoolbag and hurrying over to sit next to the bed. He took a hold of her hand and stroked is gently.

"Jackson? Is that you?" Izzy asked sleepily, her voice even weaker and quieter than it had been earlier.

"It's me, Iz. I'm here," Jackson replied. "Hello Toby, fancy seeing you here." Jackson reached out with his other had and scratched the dog's head, who nuzzled into his hand.

"Tell me about Hogwarts, please Jackson," Izzy pleaded, her eyes still shut tight but a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Did I tell you the time, Lloyd and me turned Professor McGonagall's hair blue?" Jackson asked. It had been a recent prank they had completed on the first day a few weeks ago when she had to disappear to attend to Suzie's diversion.

"No. Please tell me," Izzy begged, the smile getting a little larger. Hermione reappeared from the bathroom and stood next to Charlie. She rested her head on his shoulder and Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they watched Jackson comfort their daughter.

{FLASHBACK}

"Can I see her please?" 3 year-old Jackson begged pulling on the bottom of Charlie's robe. "Please, Daddy, please." Charlie laughed and scooped up his son, who was probably more excited about the birth of the new family member than he and Hermione were.

"Yes of course we can, she's with mummy now," Charlie said giving his son a kiss on his forehead and walking him towards the room. Charlie opened the door into the Maternity Ward and put his son down pointing to the curtains hiding his mother and new sister. Jackson ran over and ripped open the pale blue curtains.

"Hi, mummy. Where's my sister?" Jackson asked after jumping onto the bed and giving Hermione a sloppy kiss.

"The healers just took her to wrap her up in some warmer blankets," Hermione said pulling her son into a hug.

"She'll be here in a minute," she added at the upset look on Jackson's face. As if on cue, a healer pulled open the curtains, carrying a small baby.

"Here! Bring her here. I want to see her," Jackson said excitedly upon catching sight of the small bundle. The healer let out a chuckle but nonetheless brought the girl over and carefully handed her to Hermione. Jackson leant over and peered at his new sister taking in every inch of her small face.

"She's so small," he whispered planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Jackson heard Charlie laugh but couldn't take his eyes off his sister. He felt a feeling of pride in his young heart and although being only 3 he knew he would treasure her and look after her for her whole life.

"What's her name?" Jackson asked as she wrapped her tiny fingers around is less tiny finger.

"Well, we wanted you to have the final choice," Hermione said. "You can choose from Hannah, Isabelle or Abigail."

"Hmmmm…I like Isabelle the most," Jackson said after a moments thought staring down at his sister. "Yes, she looks like an Isabelle."

"Isabelle it is then," Charlie said walking over to the bed and sitting down next to them. His family was complete. He was in so much love with them all. His heart filled with happiness; he would do nothing to change what he had. Thinking about how happy his future looked, he couldn't help his eyes water up with emotion.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

The door opened slowly behind them and Charlie and Hermione turned around to see who had entered. They smiled as Bill entered carrying three mugs of steaming tea.

"Thought you might want something warming," he said handing them each a drink and taking the third over to Jackson who was still telling Izzy stories about his adventures at Hogwarts.

"Thanks, Bill. Is everyone still upstairs?" Charlie asked sipping at the tea. The heat hit him and warmed him from the inside.

"Yes, mum's not going to go anywhere for a while and no one else daren't leave," Bill responded.

"Please tell them all to go home. They don't need to be here for this," Hermione choked.

"We're not going to. We want to be here for you. You need us here. It's not fair what you're going through and you need your family right now. We're your family and we're going to be with you for the entire time so don't go wasting your energy on kicking us away because we're not going anywhere," Bill said, walking over and looking at the couple.

"Thank you Bill," Hermione said throwing herself into the elder Weasley's arms. "You don't know how much it means to us. We're never going to be able to repay you."

"Hermione, for something like this you never need to repay us. Don't be so silly," Bill said rubbing her back.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered in his ears, her eyes filling with tears. She let go of him and turned around into her husband's arms. She rested her head against his chest, feeling the strength of his heartbeat calm her down somewhat. Charlie pulled her in tight wrapping her arms around her waist and resting his cheek on her head. They stood there for a while, oblivious to Bill leaving. It wasn't until they heard a shout that they jumped a part.

"Mum! Dad!" Jackson called. Charlie and Hermione whipped around and hurried over to the bed. They didn't even need to ask Jackson what was wrong when they looked down at their daughter. Her arm had gone limp, her lips turning a pale shade of blue, her eyelids even darker and shallower, and her breathing practically non-existent. Hermione dropped to her knees grabbing hold of Izzy's cold hand. Charlie stood still, in complete shock. They had been preparing for this to happen but at the back of his mind there was still a part of him that thought it wouldn't happen. It was now that the tears weren't coming. Feeling empty, Charlie subconsciously walked around the other side of the bed and sat down, reaching out to stroke her cheek. A shock ran through him as he made contact with her cold skin. The three of them sat there in silence. Charlie didn't even know what to think anymore. He didn't know how to go on. He didn't know how his life could possibly be the same without their mischievous daughter.

As they sat there, Izzy's breathing got slower and shallower, a rasping noise escaping her lips with each breath. Time seemed to stand still. They could have been sitting there for a few minutes or it could have been a few hours. And then the time came. All three of them knew what happened. Her eyes fluttered momentarily and she took one last rasping breath until she lay still, her chest unmoving. Hermione let out a sob and rested her head on the bed stroking her daughter's hand, her body shaking. Jackson wrapped a protective arm over her mother's shoulders and leant his head on her shoulder. Even Toby snuggled up against Izzy and sadly closed his eyes. Charlie, however, sat motionless. He didn't move. He couldn't move. He needed space. He needed some air. But more importantly, he needed his family and they needed him more. He had to stay there for them.

"It'll be fine, Mummy. She's in such a better place now. She wasn't happy and she wasn't well. She was in a lot of pain and wasn't getting any better. She'll be with granny and grandpa now and they'll treat her so well. She's looking down on us now and she'll look after us. We'll treasure every memory of her and we know she's happy now," Jackson said quietly.

"You're too wise for your age, Jackson. And yes she is in a much better place and we're going to miss her so badly but we need to remember all the best things," Hermione said planting a kiss on her son's forehead, tears staining her cheeks.

"Even the time she turned the couch into a box of fireworks and then set them off inside," Jackson said with a smile.

"Even that and especially the time she turned the stairs into a slide just as Dad came out the bedroom," Hermione said, her lips turning into a slight smile. Even Charlie smiled reminiscing at the memory. It had hurt a lot but it had been quite amusing looking back at it.

Charlie kissed his daughter's forehead, "We're going to miss you a lot. Goodbye sweet angel."

 **(A/N: it's something a little different but hope you enjoyed it, I liked writing it even if it was making me sad as I wrote it! Please leave a review, would love to hear your thoughts!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I decided to continue with this cos why not? I'm enjoying writing it and hope you like reading it - let me know your thoughts and any potential ideas because I'm still trying to piece it all together.**

 **Chapter 2**

It hadn't even been a week since they had lost their daughter and it wasn't the first time Charlie had woken in the middle of the night to an empty bed, his wife no longer in the room. He crept downstairs trying not to wake their son who would be returning back to Hogwarts at the end of the week in an attempt to return to normality. It didn't surprise Charlie to see his wife curled up on the sofa, a photo frame held tightly in her hands, tear tracks staining her cheeks. It broke his heart to see his wife like this. His wife had been his rock this past year. His wife was the bravest person he had ever met, and he worked with dragon tamers. His wife was never one to cry. That was until they had lost their daughter at 11:37 on Tuesday 19th October 2013.

Charlie's feet carried him to the sofa were he pulled his wife onto his lap rubbing soothing circles on her back. He heard her sniff, felt his top go damp and began to feel her shake with sobs.

"Shh…it's OK, love. It's OK. We're going to get through this, I promise. It's going to be hard but Izzy wouldn't want this. She would want us to have fun, laugh and pull pranks on each other. She wouldn't want us to cry over her," Charlie said, the tears filling his eyes as he remembered his daughter.

"I know. It's…it's just that…it's not fair. She was only nine. How could they have taken her from us so young?" Hermione choked pulling her face away from Charlie and looking up into his face. Her eyes were red and puffy, how they had been for the past five days. What hurt the most was the fact that the cause of her illness was a complete mystery. No one, not even the best muggle doctors, had a clue what was wrong with her. Not having any closure was what made Charlie's heart clench when he thought about her.

"Because that was her destiny. She was destined to bring us nine years of love and laughter. She was meant to make you see the fun side of life and to change us all. Just because she's gone doesn't mean she's left us," a young voice came from the stairs. Hermione and Charlie looked over and saw Jackson watching them carefully. They smiled at his son and beckoned for him to join them.

"How do you always know the right thing to say?" Hermione asked her son as she pulled him into a hug.

"Because I'm your child," he said tearfully. "Izzy was the same, she just preferred to be a bit of a rascal." Charlie let out a snort.

"A bit is the largest understatement of the century," he said with a smile. Jackson beamed up at his parents but they both noticed his eyes fill with sadness and anguish. Izzy was their daughter but she was also his sister, his best friend, his confidant. And yet, at the age of 11, Jackson was far too wise. He was always the one to comfort his parents. He was the glue holding the family together. He was the one who made sure his mother bathed and ate food. It turned out she listened to him more than she did her own husband, much to Charlie's annoyance.

"You do believe she's in a better place, don't you?" Jackson whispered into his father's shoulder. Charlie's heart ripped some more. Jackson had been the one telling them that and yet Charlie could distinctly hear the uncertainty in the question.

"Of course she is. She's surrounded with pranks that Uncle Fred and Uncle George wouldn't even be able to think of. She's not in any pain. She's eating again and she's happy. She's very happy. But more importantly she's watching over us, all of us. She's keeping us safe," Charlie said sadly planting a kiss on his son's head. The trio sat there on the sofa and in the comfort of each other's arms all drifted off to sleep.

{-}

Sunday 24th October dawned bright, blustery and sunny. Most of the trees were bare and the ground was covered in leaves. It had been the longest five days in Hermione's memory but she had promised a number of people that today would be day she would step outside of the house and join the rest of the Weasleys in what she truly hoped would be a joyous Sunday lunch. She wouldn't deny that she didn't want to go. Facing the Weasleys was the last thing she wanted to do. She needed to see her parents and be held by them and told by them that everything would be OK in the end. But she hadn't wanted to ruin their holiday so they were oblivious to it all. They would get back on Thursday and Hermione would tell them then. They loved Izzy hugely and it wasn't something Hermione could tell them over the phone or some other impersonal way. She needed to tell them face-to-face and that was going to have to wait until Thursday. So for now, it was the Weasleys and Harry, who were trying to help and both Charlie and Hermione had agreed it would do them good to go over to The Burrow.

"You sure you've got everything?" Hermione asked her son for at least the tenth time that morning.

"Yes, mum. I'm sure. I only brought by school bag and some books," Jackson responded rolling his eyes.

"Don't you go rolling your eyes at me, mister," Hermione said sternly, putting her hands on his hips.

"Sorry, mum. See you in a couple of weeks," he said hugging his mother tightly. Hermione returned the hug and didn't let go of her son. It was the fourth time in 13 months she was saying goodbye to send him to Hogwarts but the hardest by far. At least the past few days he had been around so not only was there a child in the house but also someone to keep Toby company. And now it would just be her, Charlie and the spaniel and it wasn't something she was particularly looking forward to.

"Mum…I can't breathe," Jackson spluttered.

"Right, yes. OK. Well you behave yourself Jackson and try and keep James, Lloyd and Suzie well behaved too," Hermione said with a weak smile, a tear falling from her eyes. Jackson nodded as he reached up and wiped the tear away from her cheek with his thumb.

"Everything will be OK, mum. I love you," he whispered, standing on tiptoes to kiss her cheek before turning round to hug his father and stepping into the fireplace to floo back to Hogwarts.

Oblivious to her surrounding, Hermione's knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor, her body shaking with sobs. Charlie was next to her less than a second later, pulling her slight frame onto his lap, his own tears streaming down his face. The couple sat there on the cold, hard floor for what felt like hours, letting their emotions flow. There had always been a small part of Charlie telling him to be prepared for Izzy to die but he had trampled that down with hope and belief that she would be fine. Despite having no clue what was wrong with here he always believed that in the end she was going to be fine, would go to Hogwarts in a few years and grow up to be an even greater prankster than his twin brothers. That wasn't the case and for the foreseeable future Charlie would spend a great deal of time remembering his favourite daughter and thinking about what could have been. If only they had known. If only he could have suffered instead. If only none of this had ever happened.

About an hour later, Hermione sat up and looked up at Charlie with eyes filled with pain and emotion.

"Do we really have to go?" she asked, her voice weak. Charlie sighed, truth be told he didn't want to go either but he knew they had to. They needed to get out of this house and try to carry on living "normally".

"Yeah, I think we do. But as soon as it gets too much, you just tell me and we'll leave straight away," he said, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Hermione nodded as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her ear to his chest. The sound and feeling of his beating heart had always managed to clam her down, right from the days after the battle, through the miscarriages and pregnancies, after the labours and more recently after Izzy's passing.

"You're not planning on going wearing that are you?" Charlie finally asked realising that Hermione was wearing a pair of otter pyjamas, a strappy tank top and cardigan. Hermione snorted.

"Just as likely that you're got to wear that," she said with a smile. Charlie looked down and realised he was in a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

"Time to get changed then?" he asked with a smirk.

Half an hour later, Charlie and Hermione were ready to brave the other Weasleys and Harry for hopefully a relatively quick lunch. Just as Charlie was about to step into the roaring emerald green flames Hermione stopped walking and stared at the fireplace, a look of sadness etched on her face but paired with a smile.

{FLASHBACK BEGINS}

Hermione heard the thundering of feet come down the stairs and she whipped around just in time to see her four-year-old daughter throw her small body into her arms.

"What's the matter, angel?" she asked hugging the girl tightly, having noticed the tear tracks on her cheeks. Izzy just shook her head, burying herself into her mothers' chest. "Was it Uncle Fred? Did the parcel he send you blow up in your face?" Izzy shook her head. "Hmm…what about Uncle George? Did he make Toby turn into a canary again?" For the third time Izzy shook her head but Hermione felt the smile on the little girl's face. "Right, then, are you going to tell me?"

"It was…Jackson…he…he said I couldn't play with his broom," Izzy finally stammered, the tears flowing from her eyes. Hermione's let out a sigh of relief, Izzy never cried and she was expecting it to be so much worse.

"And what have I said to you about riding a broom?" Hermione asked walking over to the sofa and placing Izzy on her lap to face her.

"That…that. I can't play until I'm five," Izzy said sadly.

"And how old are you now?"

"Four," Izzy muttered quietly, not meeting her mother's gaze

"Exactly. So why did you think Jackson would say yes?"

"But…but I'm five in three days. Please can I have a go mummy?" Izzy pleaded, her eyes shining with tears.

"Isabelle Rose Granger-Weasley, you know the answer is no. We made your brother wait until he was five and you will most certainly not sitting on a broom a minute earlier nor will you play without supervision from your father. Do you understand me?" Hermione said sternly. Izzy knew that whenever her full name was used, it was the end of the discussion and that she had no hope. She nodded.

"Good. You only have three more days left and I promise that after then you can fly as much as you want, within reason that is," Hermione added quickly backtracking so not to have dug herself into a deep hole.

"Will I make Quidditch team?" Izzy asked excitedly, no longer sad. It always amazed Hermione at how quickly her moods would change as if nothing had just happened.

"The Quidditch team dear. And I don't know. Your father was an excellent seeker so let's hope you get it from him and not from me," Hermione responded with a smile.

"I want to be seeker," Izzy said wistfully. Even at the age of four, anyone outside of the family would think she was more like seven with how she spoke and acted. Hermione assumed it was from wanting to catch up with her elder brother and cousins the entire time.

"Let's hope you are then." Hermione planted a kiss on top of Izzy's head and was about to say something when suddenly the fireplace lit up with bright emerald flames and Charlie stepped out of the fireplace. Izzy's eyes turned wide in surprise and she almost squealed when she saw her father step out of the flames. Hermione laughed at the look on her daughter's face, becoming conscious of the fact that it was her first time seeing the floo in action. It's not safe for young children, up to about the age of five or six, to travel by floo so it was always portkeys, muggle transport or occasionally side along apparition under a sleeping charm.

"Whaaaat?" Izzy said, her eyes shinning with a mixture of confusion, shock and admiration. Charlie couldn't help but start to laugh at the look on his daughter's face.

"Nice to see you too, Iz," he chuckled. Izzy clamped her mouth shut and ran towards her father, jumping into his arms. Charlie swung her around in a circle emitting squeals of joy from the small girl.

"I'm confused, Daddy," she panted when Charlie put her back down on the floor, not letting go until she had regained her balance.

"And what are you confused about angel?" he asked crouching down so his face was level with hers. He didn't miss the look of amazement in her big, chocolate eyes.

"The fire. The green. You. Just…everything," she sighed in admiration. Charlie beamed at her before standing up and taking the bowl of floo powder from the mantelpiece.

"Charlie," his wife said suspiciously from the sofa.

"Just showing, dear," he said with a wink at Hermione. He then knelt back down in front of Izzy and showed her the grey powder.

"Have you heard of us talking about floo?" he asked.

"Like when I'm sick?" she asked and Charlie chuckled.

"No, like floo powder or travelling by floo," he said with a smile. Izzy shook her head.

"Well, floo is another way for witches and wizards to travel but you're too young so we don't travel that way. But maybe next week or something we'll give it a go. Anyway, travelling by floo means that you go through all the fireplaces to where you want to be. And you travel in bright green flames," Charlie explained, trying to make the process understandable from a four year old's perspective. "Here, take a handful of this and throw it into the fireplace." Charlie handed the powder. Izzy carefully picked up a handful, her face screwed up in concentration. She took the few steps to the fireplace and then chucked the powder in the fire grate, getting more on the floor than where it was actually meant to be. But it was enough and emerald green flames burst upwards and Izzy squealed in delight.

"It's amazing. I never seen it so amazing," she gushed and immediately went to grab more powder to make the green flames reappear after they had died down. Hermione grinned at her husband from the sofa, both incredibly happy with their lives and their glorious family. Life was pretty perfect, for now.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

"You alright, love?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Just remembering the first time Izzy saw the floo in action," she said smiling at the memory. Charlie let out a chuckle as he recalled the memory.

"She was so easily entertained," he muttered, more to himself.

"Yes, I think that's why she was turning into a pretty great prankster. Everything just made her happy and laugh," Hermione added thoughtfully. Charlie smiled and planted a kiss on his wife's forehead before reaching out and taking her hand worried that if he didn't physically drag her to the fireplace they would never actually make it to The Burrow.

Charlie and Hermione barely managed to make it out of the fireplace at The Burrow before they were engulfed by readheads. Hermione felt overwhelmed as she was passed into the arms of each and every Weasley but it was the last member of her favourite wizarding family that she wanted to see the most. Hermione didn't want to let go of the elder twin, savouring the smell of smoke and parchment. She knew Fred would have struggled a lot. He was almost closer to Izzy than he was to his brother, almost being the key word. But nonetheless Hermione knew that Izzy's death had hit him hard.

{FLASHBACK BEGINS}

Charlie, Hermione and Jackson walked through the corridors and almost a kind of trance, hand in hand, none of them uttering a word, their feet aimlessly carrying them up to the tearoom. Toby was mournfully walking next to them, his tail drooping sadly. The Weasleys and Harry were all sat in the tearoom, some of them conversely quietly and others, including Fred, just sat there. Before any of them had noticed the presence of the family, Hermione's eyes had gone to Fred. He was sat in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chest and his chin resting on them. His eyes were unfocused and empty. Hermione had emptied herself of tears and felt hollow. She felt like a piece of her heart had been ripped from her chest. She didn't even know what to think or say or do. She felt as if time had frozen and she was walking around in her own world.

Unaware of what she was doing her hand left Charlie's and she walked over to Fred, blocking out all the noise from everyone else. As she neared the twin he looked up at her. He took one look at her face and felt his eyes sting. It had happened. The time had come. She was gone. At the age of nine, she had been taken away. Taken away from a family that loved her; a family that wouldn't know what to do without he. Fred let go of his knees and wrapped his arms around Hermione as she fell into the seat next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and stared ahead of her, no more tears to cry. She could see, Charlie say something before breaking down in front of his family. Mrs. Weasley let out a sob and turned to her husband. She saw Bill reach out and pull his brother, his best friend into a hug. He saw Harry kneel down and comfort his godson, Toby already nuzzling at Jackson's face, Ginny right next to them. George and Angelina were holding on to each other. She could even see tears in Percy's eyes. Izzy had touched the lives of so many people and Hermione knew that they would all have happily taken her place instead of her.

As she thought about this and how it wasn't just her, Charlie and Jackson who had been affected, the tears began to trickle down her cheeks once more. She felt Fred squeeze her shoulders tighter as she sniffed. She had no idea how long she sat there watching, but not taking in, the scenes unfold around her. Mr. Weasley had begun to force tea and biscuits down the throats of everyone, some people accepting it and others not. Bill and Percy had disappeared for a while and Hermione knew they had been signing the necessary paperwork so she and Charlie didn't need to. It was a common theme in the Wizarding world, where it was extended family who sorted everything out after someone's death and not the immediate family. When she had first found this out, Hermione had been shocked but right now she was so grateful and couldn't think of anything worse than to watch them move Izzy's body and get her to sigh meaningless papers.

She let out a sigh and sat up. Fred cast a look at her and Hermione responded with a weak, watery smile. She walked over to where Jackson had fallen asleep next to Charlie and sat down on the other side of Charlie, curling up next to him, finding the soothing circles he rubbed on her back rather calming. She just wanted to be with her husband and son

Hermione had no idea when she had fallen asleep but the next thing she was aware of was being carried through the darkened corridors of St Mungo's towards the reception and the fireplace. She pressed her head against Charlie's chest and could feel the strength of his heart beating against his ribs. The next thing she knew she was being pulled along the bed and brought close into Charlie's body, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as if he was afraid he would lose her next.

{FLASHBACK ENDS}

"She's much happier now," Hermione whispered into Fred's shirt.

"Yeah, I guess," he muttered pulling away. Hermione looked up and gently wiped away the tears with her thumb.

"You need to stay strong, Fred. It'll be hard but just remember how much she loved you. I wouldn't be surprised if she loved you more then she did me and Charlie. You need to keep her prankster legacy alive," Hermione said her voice strong and full of sincerity.

"I will, don't you worry," Fred said with a wink and a smile to match.

"That's her Uncle Fred." Hermione gave him one more squeeze before turning around. She hadn't realised quite how long she and Fred had stood there together but judging by the fact that everyone had dispersed she figured it had been a while.

"I see you didn't bring Toby," Fred pointed out.

"No, he's been quite grumpy recently and distanced himself a lot. Izzy was his favourite and I think he knows she's not going to be around. I would have thought he would be glad as he won't be turned pink and black anymore," Hermione added eyeing Fred with curiosity.

"Hey, it was just a bit of a joke. Could never work out why it didn't go back to normal after half and hour though," he said holding up his hands in surrender. Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't help the twitch of her lips.

"Probably because you didn't add enough Boom Berry to the initial potion," a voice wafted from the door. Fred and Hermione turned around to see George walking towards them.

"Ah yes, that would probably have helped," Fred said thoughtfully. "What do you think about making a potion that will restore anything and anyone back to the original?"

"Now that's something I could get behind," George responded eagerly. Hermione smiled and left the twins to babble on about more ideas for their incredibly successful shop. She headed into the kitchen where she found Mrs. Weasley madly running around trying to cook up lunch.

"What can I help you with?" Hermione asked, pulling out her wand ready to deal with any task that would be handed to her by the flustered woman.

"Oh, Hermione, dear. There's nothing you can do. Really I'm fine. You're the guest, go and relax," Mrs. Weasley responded. But Hermione spotted the tray of roast potatoes catch alight and she quickly sent a stream of water at the flames before they got out of hand.

"Oh, golly. What happened there?" Mrs. Weasley asked shocked to see Hermione stand by the oven, smoke drifting out of the window.

"Your potatoes caught fire. But they're fine. What can I do, Molly? It seems you've got a lot going on," Hermione pressed the woman once more to give her a job.

"Oh, Hermione. You're going to think me awful. I just can't…what with…with Izzy and…and…I," Mrs. Weasley dissolved into tears. Hermione stood there, unsure quite how to react. She knew Mrs. Weasley to be quite the emotional one but wouldn't have expected her to lose it in the middle of the kitchen when she had all her family around for lunch. Hermione pulled the Weasley matriarch, her second mother and woman she looked up to into a hug and held her tightly.

"I don't think you awful. Everyone experiences grief and people just express it differently. We're going to get through it. It may be a while but we'll get there, we'll get there in the end," Hermione said patting Mrs. Weasley's back. She felt odd saying these words herself. The past five days, people had been saying it to her not the other way but right now Hermione felt a little more strength just by saying those few words.

"You're right, Hermione. You always are. I'm sorry about, about this. I thought I would be able to control it all. There's no excuse for me to get upset, especially not today. Right, now for lunch. Can you redo the potatoes? I think they may be ruined. And then can you make a gravy?" Mrs. Weasley asked dabbing at her eyes with her apron. Hermione nodded as she threw the potatoes into the bin and got to work peeling and cutting up another batch.

Just under an hour later found Hermione squeezed between Charlie and Ginny at the rather full kitchen table. Looking around the table, Hermione could feel the love radiating from everyone. It was the same as when she had had her first miscarriage when it had felt as if everyone was experiencing it with her. That was what was so amazing about the Weasleys, when one of them suffered or experienced something less than ideal everyone grouped together and helped that individual get through it all, regardless of whether they were related through blood or marriage. It made her heart fill knowing that everyone was going to be there and help her, Charlie and Jackson, and even Toby, get through the next days, weeks, months and even years.

Both Charlie and Hermione were surprised at how pleasant the meal was and how they felt so welcomed and loved. Hermione had expected everyone to bring up Izzy and everything and to not be able to cope but much to her delight it was just a toast, from Fred, at the beginning of the meal and otherwise it was almost as if nothing had happened. They were both glad that was what the atmosphere was like and despite dreading it a lot they were both glad they had ventured out of the house and visited The Burrow. They both collapsed onto their sofa when they got back home later that afternoon. They snuggled up together and flicked on the television, neither of them truly paying attention but enjoying the background noise. They had barely got back for 10 minutes before Toby appeared from upstairs carrying a soft toy. It was Bear, Izzy's teddy who went everywhere with her. Toby jumped up onto the sofa and lay down, resting his head on Hermione's lap. Hermione didn't have the heart to get him off the sofa like she would have done in the past but let him stay and together the three of them stayed there well into the night, reminiscing of Izzy resulting in tears and even a few laughs and barks from Toby.

 **(A/N: hope you enjoyed the new chapter, don't forget to leave a review 3)**


End file.
